Breaking the Shackles
by kitcat12
Summary: AU post BOFA After a hard winter in Erebor, Thorin and some of his most trusted companions travel to find new traid routes. Along the way, they are captured by slave traders and taken to the hidden city of Servatis. Meanwhile, an American woman from the 21st centurie finds herself in this city. Will she be able to help Thorin and his friends while acting as their owner? Thorin/OC
1. Chapter 1

Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit. All rights go to J.r.r. Tolkien and Newline Cinema.

A/n" You can thank the wonderful Adeleidhis for this idea. She gave me permition to use her little plot bunny.

Aimee smiled as she put the closed sign over her little coffee shop.

"Goodnight little shop," she said as she gave a fond tap on the glass.

"See you in the morning."

She turned away and headed for home, her cane tapping on the sidewalk.

By the time she got there, she was quite hungry. She did not find anything of interest in the pantry or the fridge, so she decided to go to the Waffle House for dinner.

Luckily for her, the restaurant was just across the street from the apartment complex where she lived. SO locking the door, she set out again.

"Welcome to the Waffle House." Said a female worker as she opened the door.

She could smell the aroma of cooking food and hear the sizzle of bacon from the kitchen.

With a smile, she chose a booth where she could listen to the food cooking and the chatter of the kitchen staff.

"What can I get you to drink?" A waitress asked as she sat down.

"I would like your dark roast coffee please with lots of half and half."

"Coming right up." The waitress replied.

The woman returned a few minutes later with her coffee.

"Could you hand me two or three sugars please?" Aimee asked

"At one restaurant I went to, I grabbed the sweet and low instead. Needless to say, it ruined my coffee."

"Oh my, that must have not been pleasant." The waitress said, handing her three sugar packets.

"What will you having this evening?"

"I will have a mushroom and cheese omelet with grits and an English muffin." The waitress wrote down her order and went to the kitchen to tell the cook.

Aimee left the restaurant an hour later with a happy stomach.

She crossed the street, thinking of the upcoming democratic presidential debate, she was so focused on her thoughts that her cane sunk into the pothole that she normally avoided in front of the apartment complex. She tried to pull her cane out, but it kept on sinking, dragging her along with it. She felt herself being pulled into the hole and begin to spin around and around. She let out a piercing shriek as she spun faster and faster, her stomach churning. The spinning finally stopped as she was dropped onto a table, a startled yell being the last thing she heard before she fell into unconsciousness.

.

Thorin Oakenshield brought down the forge hammer with all the rage he could muster.

He knew that his Master would be coming to check on his work. There would be severe consequences if the human was not satisfied with the dwarf's work.

It had been 4 long years ago when he was brought to this accursed city with his trade caravan.

It had been a long and hard winter for his people and Erebor was still being rebuilt. His advisers thought it was a good idea to find new trade roots. So he made plans and had set out with Balin, Dwalin, and some of his most trusted companions.

It was a fort night into their journey when it happened. They were resting for the night; Balin was on watch while the others were asleep.

He saw a long line of wagons quickly approaching. Thorin awoke at Balin's shake of the shoulder. He opened his mouth to call the camp to arms but he was not quick enough.

Men jumped off the wagons and had them quickly surrounded. The dwarves fought with all the experience they had, but these slave traders knew how to take down a small pack of dwarf warriors.

Thorin and his small group of companions were eventually subdued and thrown into wagons and chained to other prisoners.

Thorin's insides boiled with rage as he saw one of the men ogle his sister. He grew even angrier as he fully looked around to see women and children chained as well. The dwarf king did not like this situation one bit.

As they moved out, Thorin could hear the weeping of a Elleth in the wagon next to him.

"Oh Elbereth." She wept and began talking in Cinderen.

"My wife lost the baby a week ago." The elf that he was chained to said, in between his own sobs.

Dis was doing her best to comfort the grieving woman. Thorin knew that any words he could say would not bring the elf any comfort. So he gave him an understanding nod.

"What is going on?" He asked in a whisper.

"I know not. The men will not say where they are taking us." Thorin's alarm grew at this statement.

Thorin lost track of the days that they traveled, they blurred together in his mind. It was no use running away; anybody who made the attempt was set on by some of the men and whipped afterwards for punishment.

The dwarf king longed to be back in Erebor with a good hot meal and a tankard of ail. They were only fed enough to keep them going.

Finally, after many long days and nights, they reached their destination.

Thorin glimpsed a sign that read.

"Welcome to Servatis." Thorin had a horrible feeling about the name of the city that they rode through.

They were taken out of the wagons and marched to a big building.

Thorin glimpsed the sign that said "Slave Pound." Before he was roughly shoved through the door.

The prisoners were separated as they were marched to different parts of the large building. Thorin could no longer see his companions.

Thorin was shoved into a tiny cell.

"There is a slave auction tomorrow, so you had better rest up," the guard said with a sneer.

"Sweet dreams dwarf," he said in a voice dripping with honey coated venom before the door was slammed shut.

Thorin's exhausted mind could not wrap around this information. Maybe this was all just a horrible dream and he would wake up in his own chambers in Erebor.

He woke the next morning to find that it was not a dream. The guard yanked him out of his cell and he was marched out of the building and to the center square to where he was made to stand in line with the others.

He and his companions would be the first to be sold that day.

He could only watch in horror as his companions were sold, one by one.

He was yanked onto the auction block. He would be the last of his friends to be sold.

"This next item has good strong muscles for manual labor." Thorin gritted his teeth as he was turned around and around so the crowd could get a good look at him.

"He would also be a good pleaser for one of you fine ladies. Take a good look and place your bets." Thorin grew numb as the bidding began. He could hear remarks from some of the women in the crowd.

"His eyes are so pretty, such a lovely shade of blue." A woman said to her neibor.

"No, I like the hair better." The other woman disagreed.

"You are both wrong. It is the figure that is most pleasing to the eye." A woman in front of him purred. He repressed a shudder as her eyes raked him up and down.

Thorin watched as a burly looking man stepped forward.

"I will have him for 7 gold." He had a booming voice that Thorin immediately disliked.

"Going once, going twice, sold!" the auctioneer yelled, pounding a gavel on a bench beside him.

With those words, he went from King of the dwarves, to slave, his royal blood meaning nothing.

The first thing that his new Master did was to cut off his beard, a dwarf's ultimate humiliation and shame, for a dwarf's beard was their pride.

Thorin could only stand there as his beautiful beard was cut off. Hot shame bubbled up in him. He felt worthless and that he was unworthy to be called King under the Mountain. If he had been more alert and careful, he and his companions would not be in this situation. Fear went through him as he wondered at the condition of them, especially his sister. Bile rose in his throat as horrible images of his sister being violated and worse went through his mind. He wondered if the rest of them were having their beards chopped off.

None of this inner turmoil showed on the dwarf's face. He would not show the human any weakness.

After his beard was cut, he was told to get some sleep.

"You will be working quite early in the morning. I expect breakfast on the table at 6. I shall wake you at 5."

"Yes Master," Thorin intoned without any emotion.

As promised, the dwarf was woken the next morning by his Master loudly banging a copper pot with a spoon.

"Make my breakfast slave," the man barked.

"You will pay if one scrap is burnt." He spun on his heal and slammed the front door shut.

Thorin found some porridge in the pantry and made that.

He heard the front door slam shut as he set the bowl on the table.

'I wanted eggs and bacon!" the man bellowed, his spit flying in Thorin's face.

"Porridge is peasant food, I hate this slop. Make me eggs and bacon." Thorin was furious, memories of his people starving after the attack of Smaug revolving through his mind.

"You did not inform me that you wanted bacon and eggs, if you do not like oats, why do you have them?" Thorin received a hand to the face for his statement.

Those are for the horses, you will remember not to question me again. Make me eggs and bacon and do not burn it." The man seized the bowl and smashed it against the wall.

"Clean that up first." With that, the door was slammed again.

With a snarl of rage, Thorin got on his hands and knees and cleaned up the mess and went to make the eggs and bacon.

He was sorely tempted to burn it to a crisp but he knew that he would be punished severely if he did.

Thorin was forced to eat the scraps from last night's dinner.

After the meal, he was shown to his Master's forge and made to make an order of swords. The man checking on him every other hour. He would be whipped if the sword was not being made to the human's satisfaction and if he was not working fast enough.

He then was forced to make his Master's lunch and work on other projects. After dinner, he was forced to chop firewood. At night, he would fall into an exhausted sleep.

Thorin was brought back to the present with a whip coming down on his shoulder.

"That sword better be perfect tomorrow or you will regret your birth." The burly man hissed into his ear.

"Get to your cot. You will have neither drink nor sup for punishment."

"Yes Master." Thorin snarled through gritted teeth.

He turned and made his way to the house and his cot in the corner of the living room.

He wrapped the pitiful excuse for a blanket around himself and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Act 2

Jiva watched as the young woman's eyes opened.

"Where am I?" She asked, sitting up.

"You are in my little tea shop, my name is Jiva." The woman said as she checked her for injuries.

"You made quite the entrance my Dear."

"What do you mean?" The stranger asked as she brushed back her bangs.

"You fell straight through the ceiling and landed on a table, I shall have some men come and fix the hole that you made. More important is the fact that you were not injured," Jiva said with a small smile.

The woman was quite confused by that statement.

"I am at a tea shop? I am supposed to be at my apartment. Where the hell am I?" Her voice grew in panic with each word she spoke.

"Let me fix you a cup of tea to calm you down. Then we shall try to sort this out." Jiva said as she finished her inspection for injuries.

The woman nodded in agreement as Jiva led her to a chair and fixed her a cup of tea.

She slowly began to relax as she sipped the tea.

"Now, could you please tell me how you ended up here?" Jiva asked the stranger as she drained the cup.

Jiva listened to the story with interest. As her story continued, Jiva looked at the woman.

She had short dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Her skin was fare, and she had high cheek bones like an elf would have.

Her clothing was nothing that Jiva had ever seen before.

She was wearing a shirt with short sleeves, along with rather short blue leggings made out of a strange material.

Her voice was quite different as well. It was quiet with an accent she had never heard before.

It was better than the loud shrilly ladies she was used to hearing.

Could you tell me what your name is and where you live?" Jiva asked next. The strange woman had a slightly nervous look on her face.

"Do not worry darling, I only wish to help you." The woman seemed reassured by her voice.

"My name is Aimee Jonson; I live in Tulsa Oklahoma in the southern part of the United States of America."

"I have never heard of those places." Jiva said.

"Really?" The woman asked slowly.

"Well, have you ever heard of England, France, Ireland, Canada, and Japan?" With each strange name that the woman listed, Jiva grew more and more certain that Aimee was not from here at all.

"I am afraid that I have never heard of those places," Jiva said as her alarm grew when Aimee slapped herself in the face.

"Why did you do that?" She asked her, wondering if her mental health was affected by the fall.

"To check if I am dreaming or not, it was only hard enough to sting a little." The woman nodded to herself, looking satisfied but alarmed at her conclusion.

"All right then, I am not dreaming." The woman said to herself.

"Now, could you tell me where I am?"

"You are in a city called Servatis; it is a hidden city in the wilds of Middle Earth.""

Aimee would have panicked, but the calming tea helped her with that.

"Wow, I did not expect to end up in a different world when I woke up this morning," Aimee said.

"Well then, you are welcome to stay at my house until we can find you a place. We will need to find you some work. Is there any skill that you may have?"

"Well, I can sing, and I had a little coffee shop." Jiva nodded at this.

"Very well, I can help find you some bard work at some eating establishments. We can look for houses once you have some bard work going. I will show you around the city tomorrow."

"Thank you for helping me," Aimee said as they set out for Jiva's home.

"You are welcome darling," Jiva replied.

"I know that it is not an easy thing to find out that you are in a whole other world than your own. There must be a reason why you were sent here. I shall help you adapt as best as I can."

"NO it is not easy, it is rather scary." Aimee said as Jiva opened the door.

"Would you like something to eat?" Jiva asked as she headed into her kitchen.

"Yes please, something without meat, I am a vegetarian."

"I can fix you a lovely mushroom pie. How does that sound?" Jiva asked as she put wood into her stove.

"I love mushrooms," Aimee said with a smile.

After she ate her fill, Jiva showed her to the guest room.

"This shall be your chamber while you are staying here, have a good sleep and I will have a nice hot breakfast for you in the morning." Jiva said as she fluffed up the pillow.

After leaving the room, she decided to make a cup of tea.

She selected a vanilla blend and put the kettle on to boil.

It was going to be interesting to have a woman from another world in her house; there would be lots to learn.

She was startled out of her thoughts a few minutes later by the whistling of the kettle, she hurried over and took it off the stove.

She smiled as the aroma of the tea began to fill the room as it brewed. Her little tea shop was her pride and joy, she loved watching the customers as they sampled and bought her teas.

She sampled the teas she sold herself before deciding which ones she would sale. If she was not certain, her darling little Goldlocks would sample them and give her own opinion.

Jiva refused to call the little dear her slave, she was quite firm in her belief that slavery was a barbaric system that needed to be stopped in its tracks.

One of the worst things was the auctions; she could not understand how humans could treat other living beings with such calaceness and cruelty. The most heartbreaking scenes were the ones where mothers were taken away from their children.

Jiva always wanted to settle down with a family of her own, but it never worked out that way.

She did court some men but the relationships never seemed to work.

She sometimes wished she had a big house and a lot of money so she could buy all the slave children and mother them properly.

Jiva drank her tea and put the cup in the wash basin she then blew out the candles and went to bed.

Aimee awoke the next morning to the smell of porridge and coffee brewing on the stove; she was greeted by Jiva's friendly hello as she was ushered to a chair.

"Would you care for some coffee with your breakfast?" The woman asked as she sat down.

"I would love some; I take two sugars and a lot of cream." Jiva poured her some coffee and set it in front of her.

"I have scrambled eggs with mushrooms and a bowl of porridge for you," Jiva said as Aimee stirred the coffee.

"That sounds nice." Aimee replied as she sipped the drink.

After breakfast, Jiva showed Aimee around the city.

She was amazed how much quieter it could be without the loud and annoying sound of cars rushing buy with their loud stereos and horns. It was definitely less dangerous as well; she did not have to worry about a car running her over as she crossed the street.

After exploring the city, Jiva helped her buy a wardrobe.

Aimee gritted her teeth as Jiva decided which color would suit her most. It took a long time because she kept changing her mind.

As a blind woman, fashion did not matter to her. She did not care as long as it was a comfortable outfit that fit properly. She felt like an idiot just standing there as Jiva went through the racks.

Then came the next part that she did not like, trying the clothing on. She came out of the screened aria, wearing the pink dress.

"Now slowly spin around so I can have a good look," Jiva said.

"I hate being on display," Aimee grumbled as she did what she was told.

"I do not like it," Aimee said to Jiva as she faced her.

"Why not? The color looks lovely on you darling."

"It is too heavy, I like lighter dresses." Aimee replied.

"Very well then," Jiva said.

"I think that there are some silk dresses in the next isle."

After finding some dresses that Aimee liked, the two women finally left the clothing shop with her wardrobe.

"I was thinking," Jiva said as they walked back to the house.

"If you wish, you can work at my Tea shop until we find some bard work for you; I wish to add some baked goods to the shop." Aimee smiled at this.

"I would love to bake some pastries for your shop."

Over the next few months, Aimee got used to her life in Servatis. She loved working in the little tea shop each morning. Jiva also began to find bard work for her in various eating establishments and inns.

It took a bit longer to find a house, but they finally found one in early January.

It was a one story house painted blue; she wanted a Japanese style house, so the two women along with Goldlocks brought in the furniture and little dishes.

Goldlocks put blue curtains on the windows, while Jiva and Aimee put the folding mattresses that served as beds in the two rooms.

"I like your style in decorations," Jiva said as she looked around her at the layout of the house.

"What country did you say this style came from?"

"It comes from Japan, they are happy with living with few possessions." Aimee said as they put her groceries away.

"I wish I could go to your world and visit this country, it sounds like a wonderful way to live." Jiva replied.

"Yes it is," Aimee said as she sat down on one of the sitting pillows.

"I would like to thank you for helping me with everything."

"There is no thank you needed little darling," Jiva said as she smoothed out her hair.

"Come Goldlocks darling, we need to get dinner on the stove."

"I am here Miss, I just needed to put her clothes in the wardrobe." Aimee bent down and gave the hobbit woman a hug.

"I wish to thank you as well," Goldlocks blushed as they broke from the embrace.

"Pray do not mention it Miss." Goldlocks said as she and Jiva left the house.

Aimee needed to get some coffee and tea the next morning, so after a nice bowl of porridge, she headed to the market.

Her first stop was the pet shop to buy a cat. Opening the door, she could smell a strong animal odor and hear various Barks, Meows, and squawks.

Above all that racket, she could hear a shrill voiced woman.

"Balin! You old dwarf, where are you?" Aimee winced as the shrill voice assaulted her ear drums. She then heard quick footsteps as the dwarf came from another room.

"Here Miss," The dwarf said in a bored tone. Aimee did not blame him, she too would be bored if she had to listen to that shrill voice all day long.

"Where are the display cages for the kittens?" The woman asked Balin.

"I am not certain, I was looking after the birds." Aimee gave a small smile as she recognized the dwarf's Scottish brogue.

"The birds are well," The woman said to Balin with a scoff.

"Go find the display case for the kittens."

Aimee heard Balin scuttle off to another room. He soon returned, wheeling a large display case made of glass. She winced along with the dwarf as the wheels squeaked across the floor.

"That will do, put it over there. The kittens are in the left room, still in their carriers. Get them and put them in the case!" Balin went to do so.

"Oh hello there, I did not notice you enter, my name is Enith, welcome to The Little pet Shop. Are you looking for a particular pet?" Enith asked her.

"Yes, I am looking for a cat." Aimee said as Balin walked in and started putting the kittens in the case, along with some of their little toys..

"Oh yes, we have some over here." Enith said as she led Aimee to the display case.

"I have five kittens that are just a couple weeks, I also have two that are a month old."

"Just let me take a look at them, I do not care about age."

"Very well, do keep them in the case though, they are a curious bunch that will run off and get hurt."

"I will," Aimee said as she began to pet the kittens.

"Do take your time, just let me or the dwarf know when you have found a particular pet and we will help you pay for it." Enith bustled off to help other customers.

"GO check on the puppies dwarf!" Enith barked at Balin as she passed him.

"Yes Miss," Balin said in a monotone as he went across the room from the lady petting the kittens.

Balin could hear the lady's laugh as a ginger kitten nibbled on her finger.

"Balin, can I ask you a question?" The dwarf got up from where he was checking the water level of a puppies' bowl

"Yes Miss." He said in a dry tone as he walked up to her, letting out a couple of sneezes.

"Are you all right?" The woman asked him in a concerned tone.

He was confused by this. Why would a human be concerned for a lowly slave such as himself?

"I am well, it is just a bit of allergies, nothing to worry about. Did you find a cat that you are interested in buying?"

"Yes I did," The woman said, showing him the ginger cat.

"How much is it?"

"She is one silver," Balin replied.

"We have kitten products as well, including food, scratching posts, beds, toys, and brushes for their fur."

"Will that cost me extra?" The woman asked him.

"Yes, depending on what size bag of food you wish to purchase will vary, also the size of scratching post and other accessories you wish to have for your pet," Balin said in a monotone and uninterested voice.

"Oh my," Aimee said to him.

"Can I ask you something? Does the woman you work for know you are allergic to some of these animals? If she does not, you have the right as a worker to ask to be moved to another part of the shop. I do not mean to be nosy or pry, it is just that I am a passionate workers rights supporter and I want you to be happy with your job."

Balin raised an eyebrow at her, he was not sure what to make of that statement.

"It does not happen often, we are...shorthanded at the moment. My allergies are not so bad unless I have been around the dogs for long periods of time." He glanced over his shoulder listening to Enith.

"Are you ready yet?" He asked the woman.

"Yes I am," Aimee said as she and Balin heard Enith walk towards them.

"Still here are you?" Enith asked in a disapproving tone.

"Did you find something you wish to buy or not?"

"Excuse me, but I am a paying customer, I will walk out of this store and find another shop if you speak to me like that again. Furthermore, I do not like how you are treating this nice man here, he works for you and deserves to be treated with respect." Aimee said in an angry tone.

"First of all," Enith said in a tone mocking Aimee's tone.

"I have the right to give my business to whom I so choose. Secondly, this 'nice man is a slave, he does what I say, when I say it. Now I know his allergies and work around it, but a slave is a slave. Or have you been paying no attention to where you are? Perhaps you need to get out more."

Aimee was shocked at this information, the name of the city made awful sense now. She made a quick and instinctive decision, a cold smirk appearing on her face.

"Well then, how about I buy him off of you? I need a dwarf of this very type myself." Aimee said in a cold voice.

Balin's eyes flickered to Enith, he looked away and busied himself with wiping down a table.

"How much do you offer? Why not go to the square and get your own?"

"I will not leave this shop unless you let me buy him. I can pay five gold for him." Aimee said.

"Ten," Enith said with a snarl.

Aimee checked her money bag to find that she indeed had ten gold coins.

"All right, here you go. Ten gold and one silver for the kitten." Aimee said as she held the money.

"Deal, unless you wish to purchase food and proper accessories for the kitten." Enith gave a cold smirk of her own.

"As well as slave accessories?"

"I can do that," Aimee said to Enith.

"Very well, along with chains and whips, I have several collars with dog tags that can have your name, along with the slave's name and your address. They come in green and blue. I also have his leash that you can lead him around with; it ties on the neck and has another so you can tie him to a gate post for any misbehavior." Aimee hid her rage and horror with great difficulty.

"Very well, I shall have all that you listed. The collar and tag shall be the blue one."

Enith ushered Balin from the room, so she could fit him with his leash and collar. She quickly engraved Aimee and Balin's names along with her address on the dog tag, and fastened it to the dog collar around his neck. She then attached the dog leash to the collar, and pulled it tight to make certain it did not come lose.

"You need to sign the deed before I can give him to you," Enith said as she and Balin entered the main part of the shop.

"You will have to read it to me, I am blind." Aimee said as she handed Enith the money.

"I can see that," Enith said as she began to read the deed.

Aimee signed her name at the bottom.

"Here is the leash, just give him a good sharp tug if he is not doing as you command." Enith said as she handed it to Aimee.

"Nice doing business with you," Aimee said as she turned to the door.

"The pleasure is all mine," Enith said in a snooty voice as she jingled the coin purse.

"Screw you bitch," Aimee said as she closed the door to the shop.

Aimee walked down the block, her slave following behind her. She never thought in a million years that she would own one. It went against her very nature as a human being. It sickened her that she had to drag a dwarf on a leash like a dog, especially one from the Durin line no less.

Aimee was glad when she finally reached her house, she was ready to get the leash and collar off the dwarf. She had a hard time trying to untie him, Enith had tied it rather tighter than necessary.

The collar was melded against the dwarf's flesh, she could hear his short breaths as he struggled to breathe.

After a few minutes of struggle, she finally got the damn thing off. She threw the horrid items like a baseball player throwing a curve ball.

It made a satisfying noise as it hit the wall on the other side of the house.

"I need to get a few things from the market," Aimee said to Balin as he massaged his neck where the collar had cut into it.

"What would you have me do?" Aimee winced at the lifeless tone in the dwarf's voice, she did not blame him for sounding that way. Slavery was a disgusting system that needed to be stopped.

"I need you to carry my things and act as my body guard."

"Yes Master," the dwarf replied.

. Aimee wanted to cry when he called her that, she desperately wanted to prove that she was not like the other humans in this foul city. She would have to be patient though, it would take time for Balin to trust her and come out of his shell. Aimee reflected more on these thoughts as they made their way to the herb shop.

"I will be with you in just a moment!" The owner yelled from the back room, Aimee could hear him cleaning up a pretty big mess.

The owner came out to greet them a few minutes later.

"How may I assist you today?" The man asked her.

She began to name the various herbs that she needed to buy.

With a whistle, the owner grabbed the first item and through it at Balin who barely managed to catch it in time. This was the reason why Aimee did not care for the owner, he liked to throw the merchandise at the customer.

Balin let out a gulp as the man produced a jar, but he only scooped the herb into a little bag. The dwarf caught it as it was thrown in his direction.

"Can you warn a person before throwing things?" Aimee snapped as she lost her patience with the man.

"I thought he was ready," The owner replied as he through the last package

.

Balin dumped the load onto the counter as Aimee paid for the herbs.

The owner bagged up the items and threw it at the dwarf who caught it.

Balin remained quiet as they left, and went to the alcohol shop to buy some wine.

Lexend was singing a tune as they walked through the door, He leapt over the counter to greet them.

"How shall I assist thee this afternoon fare maiden and fine gentlemen?" The man asked with a flourishing bow.

"Would you like some ale?" Aimee asked Balin.

"Yes I would Miss," Balin said to her. Aimee turned back to Lexend.

"I would like to buy some grape wine and my helper wants to sample some of your ale." Lexend smiled at this and left to grab some samples.

He came back a minute later and thrust two cups into Balin's hand.

"Here you are sir, my finest brew." Balin drunk from both glasses.

"I like this one," the dwarf said, pointing to the one in his right hand.

"Ah, the apple, " Lexend said with a toothy grin.

"You have excellent taste my good man." Aimee smiled as the man put the beverages in a bag and accepted her money.

"Have a fine day, Sir and Madam." He said as he walked them outside.

They next went to buy some coffee, leaving the shop with a dark roast blend.

"I am ready to go home now," Aimee said as they left the shop.

"As you wish Master," Balin said in the same emotionless tone.

When they got home, Aimee made some veggie pot pies and a meat one for Balin.

"Could you set the table pleas?" Aimee asked as the pies were about done.

Balin did as he was told without a word, he was confused and suspicious at her polite manner. His former Mistress acted the same way, giving off a false sense of security before her true colors were shown. He would not let that happen with this current woman.

"If you do not like this, I can make you something else." His Mistress said as she served him the meat pies.

"I am sure it will be fine," Balin said in a polite tone. The dwarf was surprised to find that it tasted quite wonderful.

"Tis good Miss," Balin said to her as he ate the pie. It was the best meal he had in a long time.

"Thank you," Aimee said to him as she ate her own pie.

"Shall I help with the dishes?" Balin asked as they finished the meal.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." Aimee said as she put her plate in the sink. They worked on the pile of dishes in silence. It took a while; there were a lot of dirty dishes.

After they were clean, Aimee showed Balin to the guest bedroom. The dwarf was relieved to find that there was a bed. He always slept on the hard floor at his former Mistress's place.

She believed that a bed was not for lowly slaves such as filthy dwarves. Aimee gently closed the door behind him and went to her own room.

Balin sighed as he found the kitten that she had bought on his pillow, he gently picked it up and set it outside the door and closed it again.

"Oh no you don't," Balin heard his Mistress say as she picked up the kitten.

"You leave the nice dwarf alone you hear?" Balin heard the cat give a grumpy meow as she took it to her room.

The dwarf was again surprised, his former Mistress never called him nice. She always treated him like the dirt under her shoe.

"I have had enough of running fur balls to last the rest of my days," The dwarf grumbled to himself as he fell asleep.

The next morning, Balin awoke to a knock on his door. The woman probably wanted him to cook breakfast.

With a sigh, he reluctantly opened his eyes and got up.

"I have breakfast for you," Aimee said. Her voice was muffled through the wooden door.

"I am coming Master," He called back as he quickly got dressed." The dwarf made his way to the kitchen.

"When you are done, could you do the dishes for me? I have a quick errand to run, I shall not be long."

"Yes Master," Balin said as he began to eat.

Aimee made her way to Jiva's tea shop, the woman greeted her as she closed the door.

"Why Aimee darling, what is the matter?" The startled woman asked as she burst into tears. Jiva ushered her to her study at the back of the shop, while Goldlocks looked after the customers.

"Tell me all about it darling," Jiva said in a soothing tone as she shut the door and locked it.

Aimee told of her visit to the pet shop and her quick decision to buy Balin.

"I had to walk him home like an animal. She had a dog collar with a dog tag, it has our names and my address engraved on it so the fucking bastards of this hell hole would know he was my property."" Aimee took a shuddering breath and continued ranting on, shaking with rage and revulsion.

"It is as if he is a robot, you know those machines I told you about?"

"Yes darling, I remember." Jiva said in her gentle voice as she rubbed circles on her back.

"I hate this whole thing, it is not fare," Aimee said.

"No, it is not fare." Jiva agreed as Aimee's sobs began to die down.

"I have a hunch that this is precisely why you were sent here."

"What can I do? I am just one woman." Aimee said as despair gripped her.

"Yet it takes one little pebble to cause an avalanche," Jiva said to her.

"Now listen carefully, there is a dwarf that is going to be executed tomorrow for causing too much trouble for his owner. I am going to give you some money so you can buy him, thus saving his life," Jiva said to her. Aimee nodded in agreement at this.

"I want to get some nicer clothing for Balin and the other dwarf," Aimee said as she calmed down.

"I have some clothing in my wardrobe that you can give them," Jiva said with a smile.

Aimee heard her rummaging through the wardrobe.

"Here is the clothing and some money to buy the dwarf," said Jiva as she handed Aimee a bag and some gold coins.

"One more piece of advice before you leave, it is very important that you keep your emotions in check tomorrow. It is dangerous to show signs of weakness in front of the crowd."

"I understand," Aimee said as she tucked the money in her pocket.

"What is the dwarf's name?"

"His name is Thorin Oakenshield," Jiva answered as she led Aimee from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Act 3

Balin wiped his hands on a cloth by the sink. It took him no time at all to clean the tiny dishes. While the dishes dried, he cracked a couple of eggs into a pan for his Mistress. She had gone on her errand without eating breakfast first. He wondered what was so urgent for her to not eat before she left. No matter, he would find out soon enough.

In a larger skillet, he sautéed a mix of mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and a good handful of spinach leaves. He took care to make sure the veggies retained their color and crispness. Once the eggs were done, he added them to the veggies and stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon. The dwarf was serving the food on a plate when his Mistress entered the house.

"I have breakfast for you Master," Balin said as she sat down at the table.

"Thank you," Aimee said as she picked up her fork.

A small smile spread across her face as she took a bite.

"This is very good, thank you," The woman said.

"You are welcome Miss," said Balin.

"What do you have planned today?" Aimee took a sip of milk before answering.

"I need to prepare my song list for my performance tonight.

"I see," said Balin.

"DO you need assistance with that?"

"No thank you, I can do it on my own." Aimee said as she put her dishes in the sink.

"Very well, I shall do these dishes and clean my room," Balin said. Aimee nodded as she got to work on her list.

It was a cold winter evening as Balin and Aimee walked to the pub she would be performing at. The woman zipped up her fur coat as she walked, wishing that Middle Earth had TV so she could check on the weather.

If she were to guess the temperature, she would say that it was in the low teens with a wind chill in the single digits. They began to walk a bit faster as the wind began to pick up speed.

Aimee hoped that it would not snow. It would make her rescue of Thorin more difficult.

Wilkas the manager of the pub was at the door to greet them. He was a tall and skinny man with gray hair and light blue eyes. He ushered them in and shut the door to keep out the cold.

"Good evening Lady Aimee." He had a deep voice with a scouse Liverpool accent. His voice reminded her of Ringo Star from The Beatles.

"Are you ready to perform?" he continued.

"Yes I am," Aimee replied. Wilkas spotted Balin who was watching the pub like a hawk.

"Is he an aid or a partner?" he asked her.

"He is my bodyguard," Aimee said to him.

"Very well, I shall set him a chair to the side of the stage just in case. You have 20 minutes to prepare any last minute details of your show." With those words, Wilkas went to his study to finish his abandoned paperwork.

Balin watched from his chair as the pub began to fill with people. He watched a group of gruff looking men enter the pub and sit at a table near the stage. They immediately ordered drinks.

Just then, Wilkas walked onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a booming voice.

"Put your hands together for a new singer, Miss Aimee Jonson." There was a small smatter of applause from the back as Aimee walked on stage. This was not a very friendly crowd. She did not feel like singing, so she launched into a fast instrumental

Balin watched as the gruff looking men steadily grew drunk as the show progressed. His Mistress seemed to notice as well, but she did her best to ignore them and continue the performance.

"You are a fine looking lady," one of the men purred to her as he walked towards the stage.

"How about you and I sing a little duet?"

"{NO thank you," Aimee said coldly. She could smell the beer on his breath. The drunk was not satisfied at her answer. He leapt onto the stage and tried to grab her.

"Get back to your seat sir," Balin said in a hard voice.

"The lady is not interested." The man ignored the dwarf and reached out to grab Aimee. Balin grabbed his hand roughly to keep him away from her.

"Get away from me dwarf." The drunk spat, his words slurring together. He grabbed a beer bottle from a table and threw it at the dwarf who blocked it with his forearm.

Balin received a rough shove that sent him sprawled onto the floor. The drunk took advantage of this and leapt back onto the stage. He grabbed Aimee in a rough imbrace. Her ukulele fell to the floor.

"Get away from me you fucking asshole," she said, struggling to get out of his strong grip. The man leaned forward to kiss her, but Balin grabbed him off of her and punched him in the gut.

"What is going on here?" Wilkas bellowed over the booing of the crowd. He grabbed the drunk by the scruff of the neck and threw him outside.

"I do not allow troublemakers in my pub!" he yelled.

"I am sorry folks, but the show is over for me tonight," Aimee said to the crowd in a shaky voice. She grabbed her purse and walked off the stage, making her way to the front door.

Balin snarled at a drunk who was making his way towards her. The man flinched away from the dwarf and went back to his seat.

"I am deeply sorry about this incident. If I had known that something of this nature would happen, I would have hired more bodyguards." Wilkas said with a sigh. Aimee simply nodded as she was given her nights pay.

A light snow was falling when Balin and Aimee began their walk home. They were both glad that it was not a long walk to the house.

When they got home, Aimee put on the kettle for a cup of tea.

"Would you like something to drink?" Aimee asked as the water began to boil.

"I would like a glass of that Ale," Balin said, sitting at the Japanese table. Aimee went to the cold room to grab the ale. She placed it in front of the dwarf. Balin poured his drink while Aimee took the whistling kettle off the stove. While the tea brewed, Aimee told Balin about her plan to rescue Thorin from getting beheaded.

]

"I will be getting up early so I can get there in time."

"I wish you good luck Miss," Balin said as he put their cups in the sink.

"Thorin is an old friend of mine. I thank you for doing this."

"You are welcome," Aimee said.

"I will see you in the morning."

"Good night Miss," Balin said as she headed to her room.

Balin awoke early the next morning so he could fix breakfast for his Mistress. He decided on a hot bowl of porridge after seeing the snow outside. He was putting on some coffee to brew when Aimee walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said through a yawn

"Good morning to you as well Miss," Balin replied as he stirred the oats.

"Oh man, I did not get enough sleep last night."

"I am brewing some coffee for you along with your breakfast," Balin said as he took the coffee off the stove.

"Thanks," Aimee replied, pouring a cup and taking a long drink.

"You are welcome," said Balin as he served the porridge into two bowls. They were quiet as they ate their breakfast, their minds on the upcoming mission. Aimee hoped that she could pull this off successfully.

"I shall wash the dishes while you get ready," Balin said, taking them to the wash basin. Aimee gave her thanks and headed to her room to change into a warm outfit.

It was snowing heavily when Aimee stepped outside to begin her walk to the executioner's block. She was glad that she dressed in layers; the wind had a bite to it. It also had a howl to it that Aimee did not like.

Straining her ears, she could hear the clink of chains up ahead, as well as the voices of a man and a young girl talking.

They seemed to be discussing the execution.

"You deserve to be hung for your disobedience dwarf," the girl said in a snooty voice. Aimee grimaced at the sound of her voice. It reminded her of the girls on My Super Sweet 16 on Mtv. Thorin remain silent, his chains clinking as he walked.

'that's right; don't listen to that barby doll.' Aimee thought, admiring Thorin's defiance. She and Thorin remained silent as the man and girl jabbered on and on as they walked to the executioners block.

Aimee could hear the rumble of many voices as she followed Thorin and his former Master and Mistress.

The crowd fell silent as Thorin was led to the block with Aimee trailing behind.

"He is here, good. Let us get this done. It is really snowing now." The executioner said, stepping up to the block.

He raised his voice to a full thundering boom so the whole crowd could hear him.

"This is a dwarf from the Middle Earth lands. He is charged of disobedience towards his masters and aggressive assault."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd roared with various insults. Thorin stood in fearless defiance. He was chained to the block by his wrists and ankles.

"I almost regret this dwarf; you would have pleased me greatly." The My Super Sweet 16 candidate said, stroking Thorin's cheek. Thorin snarled at Barby and turned away.

'that's right, you show that fake girl whose boss." Aimee said to herself, Thorin's defiance bolstering her and giving her courage.

"Any last words before you die, dwarf?" The executioner asked Thorin.

"You are all living in your own custom hell," Thorin said in a hard voice. He was glaring fearlessly at the crowd.

"Well then, on that note, say goodbye to this life dwarf." The executioner said, bringing down the blade.

"Wait!" Aimee yelled as loud as she could.

"I wish to buy him!"

The executioner recovered from his surprise rather quickly and spoke.

"I do not know if it would be a good idea for you to have this dwarf. His record is not clean and he will be a difficult slave to control." Aimee nodded at this statement.

"Could you tell me about his record?" She asked.

"According to his former Masters, he was openly violent to the father, disobedient to the daughter, and all around uncontrollable." The man said.

"I like a good rebel," Aimee said with a tiny smile.

"His previous Masters do not know how to control a rebel like I do. I have a rebellious streak myself, so I know a rebel's brain and the techniques to control one such as this dwarf." Aimee dug out her money bag and continued.

"This dwarf will be quite easy for me to handle. I have the money to buy him." The executioner seemed unimpressed with her words.

"Well, if you wish to buy him, you must talk to these people," He said, leading her over to where the father and daughter were standing.

"I believe I shall," Aimee said to the man as his footsteps disappeared.

Thorin watched all of this with a careful and suspicious eye.

"As I said, I have the money to buy this dwarf," he heard the woman say to his former Masters. He saw the daughter, Dana giving pouty faces at the blind woman. She was a spoiled little girl who had Daddy wrapped around her little finger. Whatever she wanted, Daddy got for her in a heartbeat, no matter how expensive, ridiculous and frivolous the request was.

Thorin turned his attention back to the blind woman.

"I have extra money I can give for his crime against your daughter," She was saying to the father. The dwarf could see that the father was not convinced of this.

"It is not so much the money girl," He replied in that erigant voice that Thorin hated.

"It is just that this dwarf, well he is as easy to tame as a wild boar." The woman smirked at this statement.

"I like wild boars, they are fun to tame," she replied.

. The human snorted at her ignorance.

"Clearly you have not been boar hunting, or had much experience with them at all," he said.

'You clearly do not know what a figure of speech is you ding dong," The woman said, a bite of impatience in her voice.

"Who are you calling a ding dong?! You know not of what you talk about you stupid little girl!" Dana shrieked, one of her ugly sneers on her face. Thorin repressed a snort at this. Dana was the stupid little girl.

"How much money do you offer?" The father asked, rubbing his aking head.

"Six gold plus four," The woman said, counting her money.

"The four other coins are compensation."

"I shall give him to you for 15 gold." The father replied. The woman nodded and counted out fifteen gold coins, handing him to the man.

"So be it, the executioner has the key. The dwarf is your problem now." The father said.

Thorin was taken off the block and led over to where the woman stood.

""You will have to sign the contract." The man said, riffling in his coat pocket.

"Down here at the bottom," he continued, taking her finger and placing it on the line. She quickly signed her name and handed it back for inspection.

"Very well Miss Aimee, he is all yours. I wish you luck with him. Now if you can excuse me, I have an angry crowd on my hands." He unlocked Thorin's ankle chains so he could walk and disappeared into the muttering crowd.

Thorin was silent as they walked through the deep snow back to her house. He would have to talk to his new Mistress later and find out what she intended to have him do. If he did not find her satisfactory, he would run away and start searching for his kin.

They arrived at the house a few minutes later, breaking Thorin out of his thoughts. When they got to the living room, Aimee proceeded to try and take off his chains.

He grew impatient as she tried to unlock the shackles but failed.

"Here, give me the key and I shal do it," Thorin said in an annoyed tone. The woman quickly gave him the key and he soon had the chains unlocked and thrown across the room.

He heard the closing of a door down the hall and footsteps as another person entered the room.

"Balin?" Thorin asked a note of disbelief in his voice. His old friend gave him a big smile.

"Could you show Thorin where he will be sleeping?" Aimee asked Balin.

"I am going to start on our dinner." Balin gave his consent as he led Thorin down the hall and into the first room on the right side.

"I am glad to see that you are well," Thorin said, taking a good look at his friend who smiled at him.

"The Mistress has some clothing for you," Balin said, handing him a bag. Thorin gave the clothing inside a strange look as he took them out and dressed.

"She told me of her plan to save you last night."

"Plan? To save me?" Thorin asked, curious at this statement.

Aye, one of her friends told her about your execution, and they made a plan to save you." Balin said.

"What of you?" asked Thorin.

"How did she come by you? Does she know who we are?"

"I am growing suspicious of that myself," said Balin. He then told of what happened at the pet shop.

"Dinner is ready," said Aimee. Her voice was muffled through the wooden door.

"Come and get it while it is unbelievably hot."

Thorin and Balin went into the small dining room to eat their supper.

The dwarves waited for Aimee to sit down before they did the same.

"I hope you like salmon," said Aimee, serving some on a plate. Thorin liked the design of the house. Its lack of furniture and clutter made it a tranquil little place.

"I thank you for making dinner," Thorin said as he ate.

"You are welcome," Aimee replied.

"I will be right back with our desert in just a minute," Aimee said, gathering up the dishes.

"DO you need any assistance with those?" Thorin asked.

"No thank you, I can manage." The woman came back a minute later with a covered dish in her hand.

"I made this yesterday," said Aimee as she took the cloth off the dish.

"What is this?" Thorin asked, giving the continse a curious look.

"It is called apple cobbler," said Aimee with a small smile. Thorin took the plate that she was holding out for him. Thorin cut off a small bite of the pastry.

He was pleased to find that it was not as sweet as he was expecting.

"I find that the recipe calls for too much sugar, so I used less than what it called for," Aimee said.

"I hope you like it."

"It is good Miss," said Thorin.

"Do you want any Balin?" asked Aimee.

"No thank you, I am rather full. I shall do the dishes if you wish."

"I would appreciate that," said Aimee through a mouthful of cobbler.

Thorin gaped as a ginger blur shot past him and entered the kitchen.

He watched in amusement as it attacked Balin's boot laces. Letting out some choice sware words in kuzdul, the white haired dwarf put some food into its food bowl. Thorin repressed the urge to laugh as the cat let out a mew of happiness and shot across the room like an arrow from the bow.

Balin continued to grumble about fur balls under his breath as the kitten attacked her food in the corner. After eating her meal, she went into the living room and began to clean her fur.

"I heard from Balin that you made plans to rescue me yesterday. Is that true?" asked Thorin.

"Yes it is true," said Aimee who was helping herself to more cobbler.

"What is expected from me in return?" Thorin asked, a note of suspicion entering his voice.

"Well, I do not like this whole slavery business. You and Balin will still have to act as my slaves in public, but you can do whatever you wish in the house. That is the only thing," said Aimee.

"Why are you still here then if you do not approve of this slave business?" asked Thorin.

"It is a rather complicated story and you may not believe me, I need to get something from my room. It will aid me in telling this story." Thorin gave an impatient sigh as she left the room.

She came back a minute later with a strange looking bag in her hand.

"All right, here goes nothing." Aimee said as she launched into the story of her arrival in this world. While she was doing this, she unzipped the bag to reveal a strange looking object.

She put it on the table and opened the lid. It was a strange looking device with a selection of keys, knobs and buttons. Thorin jumped when she pushed a little round button on the side by the left speaker. A light appeared on the inside of the lid.

"What kind of magic is this?" the dwarf asked as a bunch of strange little dots appeared on the screen.

"This is called a computer," said Aimee.

"It allows us to write and keep music. You can do a lot of things on this device." Thorin jumped again as a computerized voice came from the device as she clicked on various items.

"That is called voice over. It helps blind people use the computer by reading the text on the screen," said Aimee.

Thorin gave the woman a hard look. He could not find any false hood or deception on her face.

"The story of how you reclaimed Erebor is quite popular in my world. It is a fictional tale written by a man named J.R, R. Tolkien."

"I see," said Thorin.

"If you know our tale, how did we escape from the dungeons of Mirkwood?" asked Balin.

"Bilbo found the wine cellar and you escaped inside some empty wine barrels," said Aimee.

"That is indeed how we escaped," said Balin.

"You may know our history Miss Aimee, but it does not mean that you know the people," said Thorin.

in a matter of fact tone as he began to pace the room.

"Do you know of my company's where abouts?" he asked as his boots made a rhythmic thud on the floor.

"I am sorry to say that I do not know where they are kept," said Aimee. Once again, Thorin found no signs of deception or false hood in her face.

"I must find my kin and escape this city somehow, then we shall gather reinforcements to liberate the rest of our kin and allies," said Thorin.

"I like the sound of that, I will do my very best to help you. I am not very fond of this place." The dwarves nodded in agreement with Aimee's words.

"Very well then, we are all in agreement. Let us find the others, as soon as possible," said Thorin.

"I know not if I can trust you yet Miss Aimee, fore I am slow to trust to begin with. However, if you help me do this, I shall be grateful." Thorin gave her a small smile as he said this.

"I shall adjourn for the night, I am weary after this long day," said Thorin.

He fell onto his bed and shut his eyes. He was drifting into sleep when he felt a furry body climb onto his chest. It was the ginger cat. She made herself comfortable and began to purr.

The dwarf king gave her a small smile. Not many people knew that he had a soft spot for cats.

"Pray do not tell Balin of this little kitty, I shall not hear the end of it." Thorin said in a sleepy voice. The cat mewed in response as the dwarf pulled the covers over them both.

"Good night little kitty," he said as he fell asleep, a protective arm wrapped around the little kitten.


End file.
